Medellin: The city that dresses in nature
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From July 29th to August 7th, one of the most important cultural events of Colombia is celebrated
The Feria de las Flores, or the Flower Fair in English, was celebrated in Medellin, Colombia. The city was adorned with a wide variety of flowers of different colors making the event a unique and beautiful experience. The festivity starts off at the Santa Elena street and travels all the way through San Cristobal, San Diego, Plaza Gardel, among others, since 1957.
During its beginnings, the elaborate parade that is well known today was very different. People didn’t crowd around the participants of the event to look at their beautiful and elegant designs. Fortunately, years later the affair evolved IGNORE INTO the pride and joy of the people from that area of Colombia where common folks look forward to the gathering all year around.
Among the flowers that are placed are daisies, bouquets with anthuriums, arrangements with musaenda, the splendor of yellow lilies, beautiful orchids, and a seasonal flower which is known as veranera.
According to the information from various sources, there usually are 65 judges and 18 jurors who were in charge of evaluating and qualifying 510 silleteros (the people who carry the flower designs on their backs); there are 8 categories- Monumental, Traditional, Emblematic, and Artisitc, among others- and the artists have to comply with certain standards like creativity, quality of the flowers used, and aesthetic.
10 finalist silletas were chosen but only one received the 7 million pesos price. Thanks to the folklore, tradition, colors, and upbeat life that can be seen within the city of Medellin during the Feria de la Flores, an unforgettable experience can be lived during this time of year.
Latin American Post | Cristina Torres
Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto
